Improvement in processes of preparing metal for castings



' pieces of steel.

mm sums SAMUEL M. CARPENTER, 0F, CLEVELAND, OHIO,

IMPROVEMENT m PROCESSES '01- PREPARING METAL FoR c sTiNes.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 173,159, dated February8,1876 application filed I July 15, 1875.

To all whom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL M. CARPENTER, of Cleveland, in-the county ofGuyahoga and State of Ohio, have-invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Process of Preparing Metal for Castings; and I do herebydeclare the following to.be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itpertains to make and use it, reference being had to the specification.

My invention relates to a new process of preparing metal designed forchilled and other castings, yet possessing great tensile strength; andconsists in adding to molten pig or cast iron, or both, scraps or piecesof steel after the molten metal is drawn from the furnace, but beforethe said metal is poured into the mo1ds,the said scraps or pieces ofsteel being melted bythe said bath withoutcoiitact with blast of air,being immersed in the said bath.

I' have found byexperiment that the steel,

as it melts under such conditions, seems immediately to permeate theentire mass of molten iron, making it homogeneous throughout its entireextent and bulk. It is well known a that steel, when melted in acupola-furnace,

ous in texture, and which is admirably adapted to all kinds of chilledcastingsf My invention consists as follows: I take pig-iron, scrapcast-iron, or both, and melt them in a suitable furnace when I run thesaid metal into a ladle, shanks, or other reservoir, previous to pouringit into the molds.

I then throw into the said 'molten'mass scraps of steel, such as steelturnings and other small I stir this right into the molt-- en metal. Theheat thereof is sufficient to melt the said steel, and it is effectedwithout of steel in any kind of furnace where the molten steel isexposed to air, and without such reduction of temperature as to destroythe proper fluidity for making the desired castings. Instead of 'Workingsmall particles of steel, such as steel turnings, I may use largerpieces of steel, such as-parts of steel railroadrails, fag or butt ends,860. v

When I employ large pieces of steel the molten iron is not sufficientlyhot to melt the steel and still retain the fluidity required in metaldesigned for chilled and other castings. I therefore heat the said largepieces of steel, but not to the melting-poinu- I then put the .saidheated pieces of steel intothe molten iron before pouring, which meltsthem without reducing the fluidity of the mass to an extent to preventits flowing rapidly into the molds, asrequired in metal designed forchilled and other. castings. The result is a metal that will readilychill, and yet possess great tensile strength without any great waste ofsteel by oxidation, and may be employed in the construction ofcar-wheels, plow'moldboards, and other articles where chilled or othercast metal is employed.

I When it is desired to draw the molten metal from an air-furnacedirectly into the molds, as is frequently done, then I add the scraps orpieces of steel to the molten metal in into the furnace before drawingofl' into the s molds can be accomplished without departing from theprinciple of my invention in all kinds of furnaces as, for instance, theordinary air-furnace, where the molten metal is not subjected to a blastof air, which would act directly on steel to burnit.

The proportion of steel to molten metal will vary with the character ofthe molten metal, also with the character of the steel, and the use towhich the casting is is be applied.

I am aware that car-wheels have been made of wrought-iron and pig-iron,or of wroughtiron, pig-iron, and steel, and. also of mixed steel, lowsteel, or steel sponge, and cast-iron,

PATIENT orrroa ing scraps or pieces of steel, which may or may not havebeen previously heated, with molten cast or pig iron, in the mannerdescribed, and immediately before pouring the metal, substantially as.and for the purpose set forth. a In testimony. whereof I have signed myname to this specification in the presence of two'subsoribing witnesses.

SAMUEL M. CARPENTER.

Witnesses:

JAMES WADE, Jr., JAMES T. WORLEY.

